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Description
Don’t Go Anywhere
Emily-Feb. 2012

“How’s he doing?”

The locks clicked as Linda walked in the front door. She sent down the groceries on the counter, then made her way into the living room.

On the floor, were her two sons. Phineas and Ferb were both on their stomachs, resting their chins on their folded arms, looking with tired eyes at a boxy, teal creature.

Phineas replied, without letting his gaze move from the boys’ beloved pet, “I don’t know. He’s breathing really hard.”

Linda knelt down next to Perry. As Phineas had said, the platypus’ breathing was very strained and heavy. His chocolate-brown eyes looked exhausted and scared, and they were somewhat pink and bloodshot. She gently stroked his side, which made him shudder.

Perry had had it rough for the last little while. He hadn’t been eating as well as he usually did, so Phineas and Ferb had started to feed him off their own plates. And even then, he only took a few things from the table. This had left Perry lacking more than twenty percent of his former body weight. He had also began to limp around, holding all weight off of his front left leg so he would only use three. Sometimes, he would even hold up his back right leg and would awkwardly waddle on the two legs diagonal from each other. Aside from that, he would either be shivering slightly or shaking furiously.

He hadn’t even had his daily disappearance. Not in the last four weeks.

Linda sighed. She finished stroking Perry and brought her hand over to Ferb. She reassuringly patted his shoulder. Ferb brought up one hand and gently rested it on hers. She slowly pulled her hand away from Ferb and put it on Phineas’ back. She rubbed up and down a few times before Phineas turned slightly and gave her a weak smile.

“Love you, Mom,” he said. His voice was barely audible and cracked when he spoke.

“Love you, too.” She got up and began to walk out, but stopped in the doorway. “I have another appointment scheduled for him at five.”

Phineas and Ferb both nodded in response, keeping their eyes fixed on Perry.

After she left, Phineas rolled onto his side and rested his cheek on his arm. He gingerly brushed Perry’s fur with his fingertips. “I don’t get it, Ferb.”

Ferb kept his arms folded but lifted his head slightly.
Phineas opened his mouth to say something more, but choked on his words and was forced to shut it as his eyes began to water. He quickly counted in his head– five times. They had taken Perry to the vet five times since the beginning of the month. On the first day, Phineas, Ferb, and their father had all gone with Perry to the vet.

“I’m sorry,” he had said, “I don’t understand it. None of his symptoms add up, but let’s give him some time to rest. Have him take it really slow, and if he’s not doing better in two days, come on back.”

Phineas bit his bottom lip and craned his neck to look at Perry.

Day three, and Perry hadn’t been doing any better. Phineas, Ferb, and Linda took him to the vet that day. “Poor little guy. I can give you some pain medicine for him, but... we can get a blood test, if you’d like.”

Sitting there in that room, with Perry on the tall metal table and the vet leaning, almost cavalierly, on the desk, almost made Phineas feel angry now. The next day, they had gotten a phone call from the vet’s office. While carrying the blood vile to a test table, one of the workers had dropped it. It had shattered on the floor, and now they had to go in again to get another blood test for Perry.

Remembering this, Phineas swallowed hard. He kept looking at Perry for a few moments, then looked to Ferb. “I think our vet’s a quack.”

Ferb said nothing, but wiped his eyes on his shoulder.

Phineas let Ferb into his train of thought by continuing out loud. “After that second blood test, they still didn’t know what was going on. Or maybe they did, but they wanted to see how many times they could get us to come in, how much money they could get us to spend...” his voice trailed off and he clenched his teeth for a brief moment before going on, “I would spend every penny that I had if they would just tell us what was really going on.”

Ferb nodded his assent.

“We still took him into that blood test. Everything came up negative. The fifth time was pretty much getting a new subscription for him. I don’t even know what that medicine does!” Phineas paused, “and I don’t like having to watch Dad give Perry pills.”

Phineas rolled back onto his stomach and began to stroke Perry’s right shoulder. He sometimes had wondered if Perry had broken a rib. It would explain the limping (at least in the front leg), his breathing, and even the eating habits. He looked back at Ferb. “If Perry had a broken rib... do broken bones get worse if they go untended?”

Ferb shrugged with one shoulder. He brought his hand around Perry and began to feel around Perry’s left shoulder. Ferb’s eyelids, which had been slightly relaxed before, suddenly snapped open and he let out a tiny gasp.

“What?” Phineas squeaked.

Phineas quickly let his hand take the place of Ferb’s on Perry’s shoulder. He too, felt the very thing that had shocked Ferb, and his sentiments were the same. There was a hard lump there, Phineas guessed it was the size of a golf ball. “Ferb,” Phineas croaked as tears began to well up in his eyes, “What is that?”

Ferb only looked at Phineas. His eyes were more full of fear–fear for Perry–than they ever had been.

“A broken rib, maybe?” Phineas wondered with a shaky voice.

Ferb finally spoke. “I don’t know.”

Both boys fell silent. They once again took their positions with the folded arms and resting chins. The only thing that either of them could hear in that room for the next twenty minutes was the tiny tick-tock-tick of the grandfather clock and Perry’s breathing. It sounded very forced and painful.

Linda walked back into the room. “Okay, boys. Five o’clock.”

Phineas and Ferb looked up at her. Without saying a word, they got to their knees. From there, Ferb lifted Perry, who went limp and chattered sharply when he was moved, and Phineas whispered as he petted Perry’s head, “It’s okay, boy. It’ll be okay.”

Linda made the effort to hold back her own tears as the boys walked Perry past her, out the front door and to the car. It was unlocked, so Phineas swung open the passenger side door and Ferb, as gently as was possible, placed Perry onto the seat.

Once the platypus was comfortable (at least, as comfortable as he could have been), Phineas shut the door. They walked around to the other side of the car, where Linda was standing next to the driver’s side door, which was somewhat ajar.

Rather than hopping right in the back, Phineas and Ferb stood next to the station wagon. Phineas, with his hands hidden shyly behind his back, and Ferb folding his arms over his stomach.

“Boys, I...”

Phineas and Ferb both looked up at their mother. She paused. They looked so scared and worried, it was hard for her to finish.

“I think... you two should stay home.”

Phineas sniffed and both he and Ferb nodded. “Mom,” Phineas whispered, “Can you... call us? When you find out?”

Linda nodded. She knelt on the driveway and embraced them both at the same time. “I will. I promise.”

She let them go and got into the car. Phineas and Ferb stood at the end of the driveway and watched until it was out of sight, and even then they continued to gaze down the street.

~~~~~

Six o’clock came like fog, blanketing Phineas and Ferb in doubt and insecurity. They were completely alone in the house. Candace was at a singing camp and would be back in two days. Their father was still at work. But worst of all, there was no word from their mom.

The boys were up at their bedroom, both laying on their own beds.

Phineas was sitting with his back against the fish tank that stood behind his bed, with his arms and legs wrapped around his pillow. He buried his lips into its downy folds, hoping to mute any sobs that might break free from his tight throat.

Ferb was on his back with a book open and face down on his chest. At first, he had thought that reading might calm his nerves, but it was just exhausting to try to think of that many things at once, since he couldn’t get Perry off his mind. He looked up at the ceiling and tried to count each of the painted clouds, one, two, three, Perry, five, six, Perry, eight... he tried again and again, but kept losing count.

“Ferb,” Phineas began timidly, “do you think we should ca–”

Before he could finish, they heard the front door open and close. They exchanged frightened glances, then leapt from their beds and rushed down the stairs.

Linda walked in the front door, cradling Perry in her arms.

Phineas and Ferb stopped before her, Phineas’ mouth open the tiniest bit, like he might try to say something.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” Linda told them softly, “but... I wanted to tell you this in person...”

“Tell us wh–” Phineas started, but his voice cracked and his vision was blurred by tears. He couldn’t finish. He hung his head and covered his mouth.

Ferb stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Phineas, barely able to see past his own tears.

“I took Perry to a different vet,” Linda said, looking down at Perry as she spoke, “and... he said that it’s cancer.”

Phineas and Ferb both felt their faces go white. It suddenly felt like their limbs had all turned to jelly and the sledgehammer of reality crashed down on top of them with unforgiving force.

Linda held back her own tears as she said, “He might last a week. Two weeks, tops.”

Phineas croaked, “A week?”

After Linda had nodded, Phineas shrank to the floor. He pulled his knees up to his chest and covered his face with his arms. Ferb kept standing, but covered his eyes with both hands.

Phineas sobbed from underneath his arms, “Why couldn’t the first vet have seen it? What did Perry ever do? Why didn’t we think that in the first place?”

Linda walked into the living room and gingerly set Perry on the couch. She went back into the entryway, sat down cross-legged on the floor, and pulled Phineas and Ferb into her lap. “It’s okay, boys. You can just show him that you love him until he...”

When she stopped, Phineas whimpered, keeping his face hidden.

“Until he has to go,” Linda finished.

~~~~~

After the news had settled a little, Phineas and Ferb went into the living room and sat on either side of Perry. Phineas ran his hand up and down Perry’s tail and Ferb twisted a the small tuft of the fur on Perry’s head with one finger.

Lawrence had returned home, and he and Linda were in their bedroom for the time being.

Hoping to have something to think about other than Perry’s fate, Phineas and Ferb agreed to turn on the TV. They turned it to their favorite channel and began to watch.

The shark special on the Uncovery Channel was only to hold a fraction of their attention, for both of their minds were a bit preoccupied with their pet.

Phineas especially didn’t know what to do, or really what to think. He turned to Ferb. “Ferb, do you think th–”

Phineas’ words were cut short by Perry letting out a yelp of pain.

Phineas and Ferb both jumped, and were soon kneeling on the couch with their hands on Perry’s side. Before they could react further, Perry let out another yelp, followed by several more, all the same length and blood-curdling intensity and octave.

As the boy’s hands began to quiver with worry, Phineas shouted, “MOM!”

Perry’s cries continued to ring out, and their mother’s voice called as she ran down the hall, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Phineas began to sob, “It’s Perry! Mom, something’s wrong with Perry!”

Ferb, wanting nothing more than Perry to not be in pain, hastily wrapped his arms around the platypus and pulled him into his chest.

Just as Linda ran through the doorway, Perry stopped his noise and nuzzled his bill into the collar of Ferb’s shirt.

Phineas placed his hands, fingers intertwined, on his forehead and let his tears run freely.

Ferb’s shoulders bobbed up and down as he breathed, and he tightened his arms around Perry. Perry would have been silent, save the short and hard breaths he was taking.

It sounded like it hurt to breathe. Ferb crossed his legs and sat Indian-style on the sofa, and a few tears rolled down his cheeks.

One sob from Phineas that was a bit louder than any of the others made Ferb, who was still holding Perry, and Linda, who had taken a seat on the floor next to the coffee table, turn their heads in his direction.

Phineas exhaled and wrapped his arms around his knees. “I wish he was just better.”

“We do too, sweetheart,” Linda said placing her hand on Phineas’ foot.

“I wish there was something I could do...”

Linda stood up. She bent over and kissed Phineas’ fingers prior to her saying, “Sometimes bad things happen, and we can’t control it. All we can do is have faith.”

Phineas wiped the tears off of his cheeks and the end of his nose. He sniffed and nodded.

Linda kissed the top of Ferb’s head, and he also nodded. But he was very careful not to move his arms from around Perry, in case the movement made him yelp again.

“I’m going to call the camp and see if Candace wants to come home early... to say her goodbyes.”

Ferb nodded again, doing a very good job of keeping his tears in, but Phineas once again hid his face in his arms and cried.

Linda looked at the two boys before leaving the room to make her phone call.

Phineas lifted his head and looked at Ferb. His cheeks were bright red and his eyelids were swollen. The tears had began to come on so heavily that they started to drip off of his nose and chin.

Only then did they realize that the TV was still on, and Phineas quickly grabbed the remote and pressed a button, causing the TV to buzz and flicker to black. He gave a tiny grunt as he threw the remote onto the floor.

He looked back at Ferb. Seeing his brother’s distraught face again made Ferb lose control and he too, began to cry. He hugged Perry close, and all the monotreme did was let out a sharp huff and continue to breathe in short gasps.

“I can’t believe there’s nothing we can do, Ferb,” Phineas sobbed, placing his hands back on his forehead, “And I don’t know, I... I guess it felt good just to think that, you know, the vet really was just a dirty, rotten liar, and going to this new vet would... He would tell us what was wrong, and Perry would start getting better. I thought it was getting worse just because the vet wasn’t giving us the truth, but...” he groaned, “Knowing that he really was trying his hardest, and that even if he had known it was... cancer, he couldn’t have done anything.”

Ferb’s crying became a little louder as Phineas continued.

“It’s some unstoppable force! I mean, it’s the same old story! Once cancer is...” Phineas coughed and wrapped his arms around his stomach, then continued, “There’s no cure. No way to stop it. You just have to... Have to sit back and watch them die,” Phineas cried out, “And you know that I don’t do well with sitting back! I mean, all those days of summer, and not a single one was wasted! I mean–”

Suddenly, Phineas’ shouting broke off and his eyes grew wide.

Ferb couldn’t stop himself quite as easily, but he drew in a shaky breath and shifted his arms carefully underneath Perry.

“Ferb,” Phineas whispered, and although Ferb could only barely hear his brother, his next words reignited any spark of hope either of the boys had.

“I know what we’re gonna do today.”

~~~~~

Linda picked up her purse and grabbed the car keys. Candace was, by now, finished packing her things, and it was time to go pick her up.

She looked out into the backyard through the glass door. Phineas and Ferb were both kneeling on the grass over a whiteboard. Their faces and eyes were red and their hands shook when they wrote, and it broke her heart to see Phineas say something to Ferb, wipe his eyes, look at Perry, blink hard, and then write something on their whiteboard. Ferb would take the marker and make a small adjustment to Phineas’ notes, pass a hand through his green hair, and gently pat Perry.

Linda sighed. Those poor boys... what would they do without Perry?

She went out to the station wagon, started it up, and began to drive down the road.

Meanwhile, in the backyard, Phineas and Ferb were finishing up some very important plans. When Phineas spoke, it sounded like he had a bad cold. “Okay Ferb, I say we skip the blueprints on this one and get straight to building.”

Ferb began to nod, just before Perry let out another high-pitched bark. Before Perry could get worse, Phineas gasped and scooped him up, hugging him like he was a baby.

Perry instantly stopped and went limp in Phineas’ arms. The only thing that let Phineas and Ferb know that he was alive was his breathing, but it was getting more and more strained.

“Come on, boy. Just stay... stay alive, okay? We’ll be done soon,” Phineas reassured Perry and he petted his stomach.

He ever so carefully set Perry back down in the cool grass. He picked up a hammer out of the toolbox on the ground. “Come on, Ferb,” he said firmly, “let’s hurry.”

Neither of the Flynn-Fletcher brothers had ever built so fast and yet been so meticulous in their work as they did in that moment.

~~~~~

Linda drove down the road. Even though she was speeding a little bit on the freeway, it felt like everything was in slow motion. It was an hour-long drive, not including the trip back.
It was getting longer and longer, it seemed, and she knew that Candace was undoubtedly worried about Perry, and Phineas and Ferb... she blinked back tears so that she could still drive safely.

Phineas was always so optimistic and ready to do something, this traumatic decline of Perry’s health that he could do absolutely nothing about must just be eating him away from the inside out. He was such a creative child, and he loved Perry so dearly.

She could only imagine how Ferb must feel. He was always quiet. He seldom spoke, but seeing his tears had taken something from her heart, and only heaven knew what the hands of sorrow would do with it. The way that Ferb bent over Perry when he held him after his violent outburst, like a father bird protecting its chick...

And even her own feelings were confusing. She always knew that Perry was part of the family, but.. did it really take something horrible like this to make her just want to hold him and tell him it would all be okay?

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and crossed her middle finger over the index one on both hands. “Just keep Perry alive. At least until I can get home to be with my boys. Oh, please keep him alive.”

~~~~~

The closer they got, the harder it became to build. It wasn’t just that their exhaustion was setting in from working so hard, but they could see Perry’s condition worsening, and it only made their eyes well up with tears, which made it hard to see.

Ferb had just began to weld on the final sheets of white metal when Perry began to yap again. Phineas, who had only just snapped on the cover of the control panel, ran as fast as he could to Perry and picked him up. Even in the red-head’s arms, Perry continued to yelp as his back and legs contorted.

“Perry, it’s okay! It’s okay, boy! I’m here, Perry!” Phineas cried out frantically. When Perry still didn’t stop, he shouted, “Ferb! I need help! Perry! Perry needs help!”

Ferb finished the last seam and took of his safety mask, throwing it to the ground as he ran to Phineas’ side. By the time he was there, tears were already rolling down Phineas’ cheeks uncontrollably, and his sobs could be heard just over Perry’s yaps.

Ferb took Perry from Phineas’ arms, and pressed a button on the machine. A drawer-like bed slid out from the side. It was big enough to hold Phineas (nose and all), with a crisp, white sheet tucked in tightly around a nice soft mattress. Four bluish-purple lights surrounded the bed part of it, and it hummed softly.

Perry’s noise continued and Ferb placed him gently in the bed.

Ferb’s tears began as he pushed the button again and the drawer retracted.

Phineas and Ferb knelt down by the side of the machine and watched Perry through a small window. Ferb’s tears were silent and glistened in the summer sun as they ran down his cheeks. Phineas continued to sob, but was trying very hard to keep them a little quieter. “Come on, Perry,” he cried, “please, boy... don’t go anywhere. Stay with us, Perry.”

Ferb tried to comfort Phineas. He took his hand and rubbed it gently with his thumb.

Phineas sighed and rested his head on Ferb’s shoulder. “You’re the best brother ever, you know that?” he squeaked.

Ferb sniffed and wiped his eyes. “I’m pleased to say that you’ve returned the favor.”

Phineas smiled, but he was still crying. He sighed and began to sing softly to the teal animal in their newest invention.

“Perry, you know you are a boy’s best friend. You’re more than just a passing trend. You’re like a treat from a candy store. Oh, Perry. We love you more that ice cream cakes. We love you more than bugs and snakes. We love you more than all things mentioned before. Oh, Perry. You’re extraordinary, you’re kinda short and hairy, the color of a blueberry...”
Ferb began to sing harmony with Phineas.

“Yes, Perry. So come home, Perry, come home, Perry, come home.”

Ferb stopped singing in order to blow his nose into a handkerchief. But Phineas kept going.

“Come home, Perry. Come home, Perry...” Phineas swallowed, despite his throat being tight. But he knew there was no way that he could finish singing with the sudden soreness in his neck. So he said the last few words.

“Come... home.”

When the song was over, Phineas and Ferb pressed their hands and noses against the glass. Perry was now completely quiet. His breathing was back to normal, and he seemed much more calm.

“I think he’s gonna be okay,” Phineas whispered. He wiped his eyes with his hand and sighed with relief.

Ferb nodded and gave his own relieved sigh.

They watched the platypus for a few more moments, then there was a shrill chirp that emanated from the machine.

Phineas and Ferb threw their hands over their ears. Phineas shouted over the alarm, “Ferb, what’s happening?!”

Instead of responding, Ferb sprang into action. He pressed the button to let the drawer out, but it was jammed. He pressed it again, and again, and continued to press it repeatedly in an increasingly frantic manner.

“Ferb! Ferb, it’s malfunctioning! We need to get him out of there!” Phineas yelled. He was sure that Ferb knew, but he was a very verbal person. Saying it out loud reassured him that something would be done about it.

But at the same time, it reminded him of the gravity of the situation.

Ferb punched down the button as hard as he could, and it shot a few tiny, blue sparks before rocketing off of the side of the machine.

Phineas panicked. “He can’t be stuck in there! Ferb, Ferb! We need to save Perry! This can’t be happening!”

Ferb grabbed his wrench and began to loosen bolts. “Phineas, grab the metal cutters!”

Phineas, having heard Ferb’s order, tried to compose himself. His breathing consisted of a gasp, then a moan, followed by more pair of gasps and moans, but he did as he was told. He shoved the sharp tool into the side of the machine and thrust downward as hard as he could.

The side of the machine creaked as Phineas tore through the metal, and no matter how tired his arms got, he promised himself that he wouldn’t stop. No matter what.

Fortunately, Ferb knew better. Phineas was beginning to get tired, and his tears and shakiness made it even more difficult. Ferb nodded at Phineas and took the tool from him. He pulled with all his might.

After Ferb had finished, his tears were becoming overwhelmingly more powerful, and he and a sobbing Phineas hefted the side of the machine off.

The ringing pitch of the malfunction alarm grew louder and began to go off in short blares. “Ferb, what’s going–”

Before Phineas could finish, he was shoved backwards by Ferb.

A brilliant flash of white light and a boom that could rattle the eardrums of a deaf man later, Phineas found himself blinking in the comparatively dark yard at a tall plume of black smoke.

Everything seemed dark. It was probably a mix of the pitch-black smoke and the fact that Phineas’ eyes hadn’t readjusted, but he stood up with shaky knees and felt around blindly. “Ferb?” he asked. “Ferb!” he called after receiving no reply.

He stood still and blinked for several moments, and his eyes finally were once again used to the sunlight. He looked around, and finally saw Ferb.

He was laying on his side, with his back facing Phineas.

“Ferb!” Phineas called again.

Slowly, Ferb rolled onto his back and sat up. He was still bent over when Phineas got to his side. “Ferb?”

Ferb looked up at Phineas and smiled. He spread his arms out to the side, and sitting in his lap, was Perry.

“Is he...” Phineas whispered.

He didn’t have to finish his question in order to have it answered. But it was answered by none other that Perry himself.

The platypus looked up at Phineas (at least with one eye, the other was facing Ferb), and shook his head the same way he did after waking up from a nice nap.

“Perry!” Phineas cried. Once again, Phineas and Ferb both burst into tears, but these tears were different. These were tears of joy. Laughing as his tears fell, Phineas felt around Perry’s left shoulder. The lump that was there was completely gone now. Perry’s shaking had stopped.

“Welcome home, boy.”

Perry chattered happily.

At this, Phineas and Ferb exchanged wide smiles before bending over and sandwiching Perry between them.

~~~~~

When Linda and Candace returned home, they were both shocked to see Perry well. Candace kept saying, “I knew it! Phineas and Ferb can do anything, why wouldn’t they fix this?” Linda could only explain it in one way: “A miracle. An absolute miracle.”

Lawrence sided with Linda. Candace insisted that it must have been some kind of contraption, but Linda noted the astounding lack of contraption in the back yard. If only she had looked a little harder, she would have seen the charred grass and the burned-out section where the leaves of the tree once were.

Phineas and Ferb might have lost a fair amount of shade that day, but they were happy because they knew that they could have lost so much more.

But they didn’t.

And no one was more happy that those two boys and their platypus.

In loving memory:
Sonata
Beloved companion,
faithful friend,
and devoted guardian.

Description
Don’t Go Anywhere
Emily-Feb. 2012

“How’s he doing?”

The locks clicked as Linda walked in the front door. She sent down the groceries on the counter, then made her way into the living room.

On the floor, were her two sons. Phineas and Ferb were both on their stomachs, resting their chins on their folded arms, looking with tired eyes at a boxy, teal creature.

Phineas replied, without letting his gaze move from the boys’ beloved pet, “I don’t know. He’s breathing really hard.”

Linda knelt down next to Perry. As Phineas had said, the platypus’ breathing was very strained and heavy. His chocolate-brown eyes looked exhausted and scared, and they were somewhat pink and bloodshot. She gently stroked his side, which made him shudder.

Perry had had it rough for the last little while. He hadn’t been eating as well as he usually did, so Phineas and Ferb had started to feed him off their own plates. And even then, he only took a few things from the table. This had left Perry lacking more than twenty percent of his former body weight. He had also began to limp around, holding all weight off of his front left leg so he would only use three. Sometimes, he would even hold up his back right leg and would awkwardly waddle on the two legs diagonal from each other. Aside from that, he would either be shivering slightly or shaking furiously.

He hadn’t even had his daily disappearance. Not in the last four weeks.

Linda sighed. She finished stroking Perry and brought her hand over to Ferb. She reassuringly patted his shoulder. Ferb brought up one hand and gently rested it on hers. She slowly pulled her hand away from Ferb and put it on Phineas’ back. She rubbed up and down a few times before Phineas turned slightly and gave her a weak smile.

“Love you, Mom,” he said. His voice was barely audible and cracked when he spoke.

“Love you, too.” She got up and began to walk out, but stopped in the doorway. “I have another appointment scheduled for him at five.”

Phineas and Ferb both nodded in response, keeping their eyes fixed on Perry.

After she left, Phineas rolled onto his side and rested his cheek on his arm. He gingerly brushed Perry’s fur with his fingertips. “I don’t get it, Ferb.”

Ferb kept his arms folded but lifted his head slightly.
Phineas opened his mouth to say something more, but choked on his words and was forced to shut it as his eyes began to water. He quickly counted in his head– five times. They had taken Perry to the vet five times since the beginning of the month. On the first day, Phineas, Ferb, and their father had all gone with Perry to the vet.

“I’m sorry,” he had said, “I don’t understand it. None of his symptoms add up, but let’s give him some time to rest. Have him take it really slow, and if he’s not doing better in two days, come on back.”

Phineas bit his bottom lip and craned his neck to look at Perry.

Day three, and Perry hadn’t been doing any better. Phineas, Ferb, and Linda took him to the vet that day. “Poor little guy. I can give you some pain medicine for him, but... we can get a blood test, if you’d like.”

Sitting there in that room, with Perry on the tall metal table and the vet leaning, almost cavalierly, on the desk, almost made Phineas feel angry now. The next day, they had gotten a phone call from the vet’s office. While carrying the blood vile to a test table, one of the workers had dropped it. It had shattered on the floor, and now they had to go in again to get another blood test for Perry.

Remembering this, Phineas swallowed hard. He kept looking at Perry for a few moments, then looked to Ferb. “I think our vet’s a quack.”

Ferb said nothing, but wiped his eyes on his shoulder.

Phineas let Ferb into his train of thought by continuing out loud. “After that second blood test, they still didn’t know what was going on. Or maybe they did, but they wanted to see how many times they could get us to come in, how much money they could get us to spend...” his voice trailed off and he clenched his teeth for a brief moment before going on, “I would spend every penny that I had if they would just tell us what was really going on.”

Ferb nodded his assent.

“We still took him into that blood test. Everything came up negative. The fifth time was pretty much getting a new subscription for him. I don’t even know what that medicine does!” Phineas paused, “and I don’t like having to watch Dad give Perry pills.”

Phineas rolled back onto his stomach and began to stroke Perry’s right shoulder. He sometimes had wondered if Perry had broken a rib. It would explain the limping (at least in the front leg), his breathing, and even the eating habits. He looked back at Ferb. “If Perry had a broken rib... do broken bones get worse if they go untended?”

Ferb shrugged with one shoulder. He brought his hand around Perry and began to feel around Perry’s left shoulder. Ferb’s eyelids, which had been slightly relaxed before, suddenly snapped open and he let out a tiny gasp.

“What?” Phineas squeaked.

Phineas quickly let his hand take the place of Ferb’s on Perry’s shoulder. He too, felt the very thing that had shocked Ferb, and his sentiments were the same. There was a hard lump there, Phineas guessed it was the size of a golf ball. “Ferb,” Phineas croaked as tears began to well up in his eyes, “What is that?”

Ferb only looked at Phineas. His eyes were more full of fear–fear for Perry–than they ever had been.

“A broken rib, maybe?” Phineas wondered with a shaky voice.

Ferb finally spoke. “I don’t know.”

Both boys fell silent. They once again took their positions with the folded arms and resting chins. The only thing that either of them could hear in that room for the next twenty minutes was the tiny tick-tock-tick of the grandfather clock and Perry’s breathing. It sounded very forced and painful.

Linda walked back into the room. “Okay, boys. Five o’clock.”

Phineas and Ferb looked up at her. Without saying a word, they got to their knees. From there, Ferb lifted Perry, who went limp and chattered sharply when he was moved, and Phineas whispered as he petted Perry’s head, “It’s okay, boy. It’ll be okay.”

Linda made the effort to hold back her own tears as the boys walked Perry past her, out the front door and to the car. It was unlocked, so Phineas swung open the passenger side door and Ferb, as gently as was possible, placed Perry onto the seat.

Once the platypus was comfortable (at least, as comfortable as he could have been), Phineas shut the door. They walked around to the other side of the car, where Linda was standing next to the driver’s side door, which was somewhat ajar.

Rather than hopping right in the back, Phineas and Ferb stood next to the station wagon. Phineas, with his hands hidden shyly behind his back, and Ferb folding his arms over his stomach.

“Boys, I...”

Phineas and Ferb both looked up at their mother. She paused. They looked so scared and worried, it was hard for her to finish.

“I think... you two should stay home.”

Phineas sniffed and both he and Ferb nodded. “Mom,” Phineas whispered, “Can you... call us? When you find out?”

Linda nodded. She knelt on the driveway and embraced them both at the same time. “I will. I promise.”

She let them go and got into the car. Phineas and Ferb stood at the end of the driveway and watched until it was out of sight, and even then they continued to gaze down the street.

~~~~~

Six o’clock came like fog, blanketing Phineas and Ferb in doubt and insecurity. They were completely alone in the house. Candace was at a singing camp and would be back in two days. Their father was still at work. But worst of all, there was no word from their mom.

The boys were up at their bedroom, both laying on their own beds.

Phineas was sitting with his back against the fish tank that stood behind his bed, with his arms and legs wrapped around his pillow. He buried his lips into its downy folds, hoping to mute any sobs that might break free from his tight throat.

Ferb was on his back with a book open and face down on his chest. At first, he had thought that reading might calm his nerves, but it was just exhausting to try to think of that many things at once, since he couldn’t get Perry off his mind. He looked up at the ceiling and tried to count each of the painted clouds, one, two, three, Perry, five, six, Perry, eight... he tried again and again, but kept losing count.

“Ferb,” Phineas began timidly, “do you think we should ca–”

Before he could finish, they heard the front door open and close. They exchanged frightened glances, then leapt from their beds and rushed down the stairs.

Linda walked in the front door, cradling Perry in her arms.

Phineas and Ferb stopped before her, Phineas’ mouth open the tiniest bit, like he might try to say something.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” Linda told them softly, “but... I wanted to tell you this in person...”

“Tell us wh–” Phineas started, but his voice cracked and his vision was blurred by tears. He couldn’t finish. He hung his head and covered his mouth.

Ferb stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Phineas, barely able to see past his own tears.

“I took Perry to a different vet,” Linda said, looking down at Perry as she spoke, “and... he said that it’s cancer.”

Phineas and Ferb both felt their faces go white. It suddenly felt like their limbs had all turned to jelly and the sledgehammer of reality crashed down on top of them with unforgiving force.

Linda held back her own tears as she said, “He might last a week. Two weeks, tops.”

Phineas croaked, “A week?”

After Linda had nodded, Phineas shrank to the floor. He pulled his knees up to his chest and covered his face with his arms. Ferb kept standing, but covered his eyes with both hands.

Phineas sobbed from underneath his arms, “Why couldn’t the first vet have seen it? What did Perry ever do? Why didn’t we think that in the first place?”

Linda walked into the living room and gingerly set Perry on the couch. She went back into the entryway, sat down cross-legged on the floor, and pulled Phineas and Ferb into her lap. “It’s okay, boys. You can just show him that you love him until he...”

When she stopped, Phineas whimpered, keeping his face hidden.

“Until he has to go,” Linda finished.

~~~~~

After the news had settled a little, Phineas and Ferb went into the living room and sat on either side of Perry. Phineas ran his hand up and down Perry’s tail and Ferb twisted a the small tuft of the fur on Perry’s head with one finger.

Lawrence had returned home, and he and Linda were in their bedroom for the time being.

Hoping to have something to think about other than Perry’s fate, Phineas and Ferb agreed to turn on the TV. They turned it to their favorite channel and began to watch.

The shark special on the Uncovery Channel was only to hold a fraction of their attention, for both of their minds were a bit preoccupied with their pet.

Phineas especially didn’t know what to do, or really what to think. He turned to Ferb. “Ferb, do you think th–”

Phineas’ words were cut short by Perry letting out a yelp of pain.

Phineas and Ferb both jumped, and were soon kneeling on the couch with their hands on Perry’s side. Before they could react further, Perry let out another yelp, followed by several more, all the same length and blood-curdling intensity and octave.

As the boy’s hands began to quiver with worry, Phineas shouted, “MOM!”

Perry’s cries continued to ring out, and their mother’s voice called as she ran down the hall, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Phineas began to sob, “It’s Perry! Mom, something’s wrong with Perry!”

Ferb, wanting nothing more than Perry to not be in pain, hastily wrapped his arms around the platypus and pulled him into his chest.

Just as Linda ran through the doorway, Perry stopped his noise and nuzzled his bill into the collar of Ferb’s shirt.

Phineas placed his hands, fingers intertwined, on his forehead and let his tears run freely.

Ferb’s shoulders bobbed up and down as he breathed, and he tightened his arms around Perry. Perry would have been silent, save the short and hard breaths he was taking.

It sounded like it hurt to breathe. Ferb crossed his legs and sat Indian-style on the sofa, and a few tears rolled down his cheeks.

One sob from Phineas that was a bit louder than any of the others made Ferb, who was still holding Perry, and Linda, who had taken a seat on the floor next to the coffee table, turn their heads in his direction.

Phineas exhaled and wrapped his arms around his knees. “I wish he was just better.”

“We do too, sweetheart,” Linda said placing her hand on Phineas’ foot.

“I wish there was something I could do...”

Linda stood up. She bent over and kissed Phineas’ fingers prior to her saying, “Sometimes bad things happen, and we can’t control it. All we can do is have faith.”

Phineas wiped the tears off of his cheeks and the end of his nose. He sniffed and nodded.

Linda kissed the top of Ferb’s head, and he also nodded. But he was very careful not to move his arms from around Perry, in case the movement made him yelp again.

“I’m going to call the camp and see if Candace wants to come home early... to say her goodbyes.”

Ferb nodded again, doing a very good job of keeping his tears in, but Phineas once again hid his face in his arms and cried.

Linda looked at the two boys before leaving the room to make her phone call.

Phineas lifted his head and looked at Ferb. His cheeks were bright red and his eyelids were swollen. The tears had began to come on so heavily that they started to drip off of his nose and chin.

Only then did they realize that the TV was still on, and Phineas quickly grabbed the remote and pressed a button, causing the TV to buzz and flicker to black. He gave a tiny grunt as he threw the remote onto the floor.

He looked back at Ferb. Seeing his brother’s distraught face again made Ferb lose control and he too, began to cry. He hugged Perry close, and all the monotreme did was let out a sharp huff and continue to breathe in short gasps.

“I can’t believe there’s nothing we can do, Ferb,” Phineas sobbed, placing his hands back on his forehead, “And I don’t know, I... I guess it felt good just to think that, you know, the vet really was just a dirty, rotten liar, and going to this new vet would... He would tell us what was wrong, and Perry would start getting better. I thought it was getting worse just because the vet wasn’t giving us the truth, but...” he groaned, “Knowing that he really was trying his hardest, and that even if he had known it was... cancer, he couldn’t have done anything.”

Ferb’s crying became a little louder as Phineas continued.

“It’s some unstoppable force! I mean, it’s the same old story! Once cancer is...” Phineas coughed and wrapped his arms around his stomach, then continued, “There’s no cure. No way to stop it. You just have to... Have to sit back and watch them die,” Phineas cried out, “And you know that I don’t do well with sitting back! I mean, all those days of summer, and not a single one was wasted! I mean–”

Suddenly, Phineas’ shouting broke off and his eyes grew wide.

Ferb couldn’t stop himself quite as easily, but he drew in a shaky breath and shifted his arms carefully underneath Perry.

“Ferb,” Phineas whispered, and although Ferb could only barely hear his brother, his next words reignited any spark of hope either of the boys had.

“I know what we’re gonna do today.”

~~~~~

Linda picked up her purse and grabbed the car keys. Candace was, by now, finished packing her things, and it was time to go pick her up.

She looked out into the backyard through the glass door. Phineas and Ferb were both kneeling on the grass over a whiteboard. Their faces and eyes were red and their hands shook when they wrote, and it broke her heart to see Phineas say something to Ferb, wipe his eyes, look at Perry, blink hard, and then write something on their whiteboard. Ferb would take the marker and make a small adjustment to Phineas’ notes, pass a hand through his green hair, and gently pat Perry.

Linda sighed. Those poor boys... what would they do without Perry?

She went out to the station wagon, started it up, and began to drive down the road.

Meanwhile, in the backyard, Phineas and Ferb were finishing up some very important plans. When Phineas spoke, it sounded like he had a bad cold. “Okay Ferb, I say we skip the blueprints on this one and get straight to building.”

Ferb began to nod, just before Perry let out another high-pitched bark. Before Perry could get worse, Phineas gasped and scooped him up, hugging him like he was a baby.

Perry instantly stopped and went limp in Phineas’ arms. The only thing that let Phineas and Ferb know that he was alive was his breathing, but it was getting more and more strained.

“Come on, boy. Just stay... stay alive, okay? We’ll be done soon,” Phineas reassured Perry and he petted his stomach.

He ever so carefully set Perry back down in the cool grass. He picked up a hammer out of the toolbox on the ground. “Come on, Ferb,” he said firmly, “let’s hurry.”

Neither of the Flynn-Fletcher brothers had ever built so fast and yet been so meticulous in their work as they did in that moment.

~~~~~

Linda drove down the road. Even though she was speeding a little bit on the freeway, it felt like everything was in slow motion. It was an hour-long drive, not including the trip back.
It was getting longer and longer, it seemed, and she knew that Candace was undoubtedly worried about Perry, and Phineas and Ferb... she blinked back tears so that she could still drive safely.

Phineas was always so optimistic and ready to do something, this traumatic decline of Perry’s health that he could do absolutely nothing about must just be eating him away from the inside out. He was such a creative child, and he loved Perry so dearly.

She could only imagine how Ferb must feel. He was always quiet. He seldom spoke, but seeing his tears had taken something from her heart, and only heaven knew what the hands of sorrow would do with it. The way that Ferb bent over Perry when he held him after his violent outburst, like a father bird protecting its chick...

And even her own feelings were confusing. She always knew that Perry was part of the family, but.. did it really take something horrible like this to make her just want to hold him and tell him it would all be okay?

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and crossed her middle finger over the index one on both hands. “Just keep Perry alive. At least until I can get home to be with my boys. Oh, please keep him alive.”

~~~~~

The closer they got, the harder it became to build. It wasn’t just that their exhaustion was setting in from working so hard, but they could see Perry’s condition worsening, and it only made their eyes well up with tears, which made it hard to see.

Ferb had just began to weld on the final sheets of white metal when Perry began to yap again. Phineas, who had only just snapped on the cover of the control panel, ran as fast as he could to Perry and picked him up. Even in the red-head’s arms, Perry continued to yelp as his back and legs contorted.

“Perry, it’s okay! It’s okay, boy! I’m here, Perry!” Phineas cried out frantically. When Perry still didn’t stop, he shouted, “Ferb! I need help! Perry! Perry needs help!”

Ferb finished the last seam and took of his safety mask, throwing it to the ground as he ran to Phineas’ side. By the time he was there, tears were already rolling down Phineas’ cheeks uncontrollably, and his sobs could be heard just over Perry’s yaps.

Ferb took Perry from Phineas’ arms, and pressed a button on the machine. A drawer-like bed slid out from the side. It was big enough to hold Phineas (nose and all), with a crisp, white sheet tucked in tightly around a nice soft mattress. Four bluish-purple lights surrounded the bed part of it, and it hummed softly.

Perry’s noise continued and Ferb placed him gently in the bed.

Ferb’s tears began as he pushed the button again and the drawer retracted.

Phineas and Ferb knelt down by the side of the machine and watched Perry through a small window. Ferb’s tears were silent and glistened in the summer sun as they ran down his cheeks. Phineas continued to sob, but was trying very hard to keep them a little quieter. “Come on, Perry,” he cried, “please, boy... don’t go anywhere. Stay with us, Perry.”

Ferb tried to comfort Phineas. He took his hand and rubbed it gently with his thumb.

Phineas sighed and rested his head on Ferb’s shoulder. “You’re the best brother ever, you know that?” he squeaked.

Ferb sniffed and wiped his eyes. “I’m pleased to say that you’ve returned the favor.”

Phineas smiled, but he was still crying. He sighed and began to sing softly to the teal animal in their newest invention.

“Perry, you know you are a boy’s best friend. You’re more than just a passing trend. You’re like a treat from a candy store. Oh, Perry. We love you more that ice cream cakes. We love you more than bugs and snakes. We love you more than all things mentioned before. Oh, Perry. You’re extraordinary, you’re kinda short and hairy, the color of a blueberry...”
Ferb began to sing harmony with Phineas.

“Yes, Perry. So come home, Perry, come home, Perry, come home.”

Ferb stopped singing in order to blow his nose into a handkerchief. But Phineas kept going.

“Come home, Perry. Come home, Perry...” Phineas swallowed, despite his throat being tight. But he knew there was no way that he could finish singing with the sudden soreness in his neck. So he said the last few words.

“Come... home.”

When the song was over, Phineas and Ferb pressed their hands and noses against the glass. Perry was now completely quiet. His breathing was back to normal, and he seemed much more calm.

“I think he’s gonna be okay,” Phineas whispered. He wiped his eyes with his hand and sighed with relief.

Ferb nodded and gave his own relieved sigh.

They watched the platypus for a few more moments, then there was a shrill chirp that emanated from the machine.

Phineas and Ferb threw their hands over their ears. Phineas shouted over the alarm, “Ferb, what’s happening?!”

Instead of responding, Ferb sprang into action. He pressed the button to let the drawer out, but it was jammed. He pressed it again, and again, and continued to press it repeatedly in an increasingly frantic manner.

“Ferb! Ferb, it’s malfunctioning! We need to get him out of there!” Phineas yelled. He was sure that Ferb knew, but he was a very verbal person. Saying it out loud reassured him that something would be done about it.

But at the same time, it reminded him of the gravity of the situation.

Ferb punched down the button as hard as he could, and it shot a few tiny, blue sparks before rocketing off of the side of the machine.

Phineas panicked. “He can’t be stuck in there! Ferb, Ferb! We need to save Perry! This can’t be happening!”

Ferb grabbed his wrench and began to loosen bolts. “Phineas, grab the metal cutters!”

Phineas, having heard Ferb’s order, tried to compose himself. His breathing consisted of a gasp, then a moan, followed by more pair of gasps and moans, but he did as he was told. He shoved the sharp tool into the side of the machine and thrust downward as hard as he could.

The side of the machine creaked as Phineas tore through the metal, and no matter how tired his arms got, he promised himself that he wouldn’t stop. No matter what.

Fortunately, Ferb knew better. Phineas was beginning to get tired, and his tears and shakiness made it even more difficult. Ferb nodded at Phineas and took the tool from him. He pulled with all his might.

After Ferb had finished, his tears were becoming overwhelmingly more powerful, and he and a sobbing Phineas hefted the side of the machine off.

The ringing pitch of the malfunction alarm grew louder and began to go off in short blares. “Ferb, what’s going–”

Before Phineas could finish, he was shoved backwards by Ferb.

A brilliant flash of white light and a boom that could rattle the eardrums of a deaf man later, Phineas found himself blinking in the comparatively dark yard at a tall plume of black smoke.

Everything seemed dark. It was probably a mix of the pitch-black smoke and the fact that Phineas’ eyes hadn’t readjusted, but he stood up with shaky knees and felt around blindly. “Ferb?” he asked. “Ferb!” he called after receiving no reply.

He stood still and blinked for several moments, and his eyes finally were once again used to the sunlight. He looked around, and finally saw Ferb.

He was laying on his side, with his back facing Phineas.

“Ferb!” Phineas called again.

Slowly, Ferb rolled onto his back and sat up. He was still bent over when Phineas got to his side. “Ferb?”

Ferb looked up at Phineas and smiled. He spread his arms out to the side, and sitting in his lap, was Perry.

“Is he...” Phineas whispered.

He didn’t have to finish his question in order to have it answered. But it was answered by none other that Perry himself.

The platypus looked up at Phineas (at least with one eye, the other was facing Ferb), and shook his head the same way he did after waking up from a nice nap.

“Perry!” Phineas cried. Once again, Phineas and Ferb both burst into tears, but these tears were different. These were tears of joy. Laughing as his tears fell, Phineas felt around Perry’s left shoulder. The lump that was there was completely gone now. Perry’s shaking had stopped.

“Welcome home, boy.”

Perry chattered happily.

At this, Phineas and Ferb exchanged wide smiles before bending over and sandwiching Perry between them.

~~~~~

When Linda and Candace returned home, they were both shocked to see Perry well. Candace kept saying, “I knew it! Phineas and Ferb can do anything, why wouldn’t they fix this?” Linda could only explain it in one way: “A miracle. An absolute miracle.”

Lawrence sided with Linda. Candace insisted that it must have been some kind of contraption, but Linda noted the astounding lack of contraption in the back yard. If only she had looked a little harder, she would have seen the charred grass and the burned-out section where the leaves of the tree once were.

Phineas and Ferb might have lost a fair amount of shade that day, but they were happy because they knew that they could have lost so much more.

But they didn’t.

And no one was more happy that those two boys and their platypus.

In loving memory:
Sonata
Beloved companion,
faithful friend,
and devoted guardian.